Presley, who died in 1977, raked in an estimated $52 million last year. Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994, generated about $50 million. Most of that came when his widow, Courtney Love, sold 25 percent of Nirvana's song catalog in April.

Einstein, who has been dead for more than 50 years, took in about $20 million in 2005, Forbes estimates. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem controls the famed thinker's estate and collects $5 million a year from the use of his images. The university also earns royalties from Disney's line of Baby Einstein toys and videos, Forbes reports, which generated $400 million in sales last year.

Warhol died in 1987. Still, he earned $16 million last year through the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which owns his estate. Monroe, who died in 1962, generated $8 million in 2005.